News Summary: Darden to hold off on worker changes

TAKING THE PULSE: Darden Restaurants Inc., which owns Olive Garden and Red Lobster, won't shift any current full-time workers to part-time status in 2014 when new health care regulations take effect.

HEART OF THE MATTER: The company was considering the shift to limit costs tied to health care changes, which will require large companies to provide insurance to full-time workers starting in 2014

MORE CHECKUPS: Darden says about 75 percent of its 185,000 employees are part-timers. The company did not rule out increasing that ratio in the future, as it learns more about the costs of the changes.